Various publications, including patents, published applications, technical articles and scholarly articles are cited throughout the specification. Each of these citations is incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety.
Nonwoven materials are used in a variety of applications, including fabrics, textiles, absorbent pads, bags, and the like. Nonwovens can be prepared from natural or synthetic fibers such as thermoplastic polymers.
Most durable and disposable nonwovens are made of polypropylene, although other commodity plastics such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and nylon-6 also are used to make nonwovens. But, these traditional polymers do not work well at elevated temperatures and in aggressive environments. In many end use applications such as filters for chemical processes and pollution control, a nonwoven material may be exposed over a long period of time to relatively harsh environmental conditions, such as high temperatures, organic solvents, corrosive or reactive chemicals, and/or acidic or basic substances. It would therefore be desirable to develop high performance nonwovens that are capable of withstanding such conditions without significant deterioration in their performance or their structural integrity.